Zha Pai Gu 台式炸排骨 Taiwanese Fried Pork Loin
A Taiwanese bento classic made at home: tender pork loin marinated overnight, coated in crispy sweet potato starch, and fried until golden. Serve it sliced over rice with pickled cucumber for the ultimate comfort meal.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces pork loin (480g)
- Sweet potato starch coarse-grain Taiwanese sweet potato starch recommended
- Vegetable oil, for frying
FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp five spice powder
- A pinch of salt optional
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
Instructions
- Prepare the pork: Cut through the connective tissue on the pork loin to stop it curling up during frying. Using a meat tenderiser/hammer or the back of a knife, gently pound both sides of the meat to tenderise it. Don't pound it too thin, you still want some thickness to the meat.
- Marinate: In a mixing bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Add the pork and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Coat the pork: Coat both sides of the marinated pork evenly with the coarse sweet potato starch. Leave to sit for 5 minutes so the starch absorbs moisture from the surface. This helps it stick properly and stops it falling off during frying.
- Fry the pork: Pour enough oil into the pan to come about a half of the way up the pork. Heat the oil to 160°C. Gently lower the pork into the oil and fry over medium heat until both sides are golden brown (about 3-4 minutes). Remove and drain, then leave to rest for a few minutes. This allows the residual heat to finish cooking the meat through and lets the juices settle before you slice it into pieces.
- Serve: Once rested, cut the pork into pieces of your preferred size. Serve with pickled cucumber (optional) and steamed rice.
Notes
